Fragrance -Unlisted Brand - Sex Appeal for men
Gretchen76 8/17/2008 3:52:00 PM
For some inexplicable reason, I have been fascinated (okay, maybe obssessed is a better word) with sniffing out men's scents lately. Maybe I'll just blame hormones for that! Now I've read about the "Sex Appeal" scent for women, but seems unavailable in stores. I did, however, come across the men's version, so I bit. In order to give it a fair go, I did put a healthy squirt on the back of my hand and proceeded to roam the store and await to be dazzled. After all, the box claims that it "was created by men for the sole purpose of attracting women. At will. More than a promise. It's more like a guarantee." (Snickers..) Umm...don't think so. Ever. I think the "appeal" never quite made it into the bottle- ended up smelling like it was made with oranges that were just slighly past their prime and some dusty herbs (specifically oregano) from someone's ancient spice cabinet. I will give it credit for longevity, way too much of it! Maybe as I woman it didn't work right on me due to chemical/hormonal differences from men. In order to be objective however, I did need to smell it on skin and there haven't been any men around to experiment on! (pooh...) I went searching for more on the fragrance notes and here's what I found: (Jovan) 1976 woody oriental (perfumeworld.net) 'notes of patchouli and sandalwood" Jovan's website (jovansexy.com) states it's made with "rare spices and herbs" but doesn't specify which ones. Jovan puts out some wonderful scents for men and women, but this one missed the boat!
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Fragrances -Liz Claiborne - Curve Crush for Women
Gretchen76 8/3/2008 7:37:00 PM
Duffy 0825 was right on the money calling this "Love's Baby Soft on crack". On my skin it dried down to cotton candy and rancid musk. Long lasting, too. The only Claiborne fragrance I can wear well is the original "Liz Caliborne" from 1986.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Curious by Britney Spears
Gretchen76 7/19/2008 3:54:00 PM
The Curious bottle that I purchased does not have the atomizer so I am fortunate in not having problems with the spraying mechansim or the scent having gone "off". I absolutely love this in summer- I can smell the creamy magnolia with almost a kiss of salty tangyness in the basenote. Best worn on a hot, humid summer day, it feels very light, never cloying. Great longevity too, I've had it last 8 hours on me. Curious can easliy segue from day in to night wear if needed.
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Fragrances -Coty - Jovan New Patchouli
Gretchen76 7/19/2008 2:51:00 PM
I am kicking myself for not buying this when it was still readily available in stores! I was looking at it in Walmart last year, debating purchase and thought "nah, got enough perfumes for now" (right). Unless Jovan hasn't updated their website in a while, it hasn't been discontinued, but now has to be purchased online for (of course) significantly more. I have been searching all over for a beautfiul "hay" scent for perfume, and based on a review below I thought this might be it. No dice for smelling like hay, but definately a soft grassy, earthy and herbal aroma. One spritz lasted me a good 5 hours with great sillage. Scent notes from Jovan (jovansexy.com): "Outdoor freshness of bright green cut grass is tickled with droplets from a watery green accord and touched with the warmth of vanilla and patchouli leaf. Matched with a tender bouquet of sunny freesia, morning jasmine and opulent white rose. A fresh interpretation of an 'Underground' classic.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Opium
Gretchen76 7/5/2008 11:59:00 AM
I don't know if this will make any sense as I usually love orientals, but I can't wrap my nose around Opium. My first experience with Opium was when my sister wore in high school about 17 years ago- I was always sneeking samples of it (along with her Victoria Jackson makeup!). I didn't care for the scent, thought it smelled very heavy. Flash forward to a few years ago when I thought I had bought some on ebay- when it arrived, the bottle was leaking and I discovered I had been sold a dupe. To add insult to injury, the day it arrived it was hot and humid: I couldn't get rid of the smell of my person or the house for days. The scent was oily, cloying and overtly musky! I finally got my hands on a small edt of the real deal and I had such a visceral reaction to it: I found a a little spice, then this musky smell- again, yet there is no musk officially listed in any scent description that I can find! I couldn't get away from the nauseating smell fast enough and I kept wondering why! Then it dawned on me: Opium reminded me of an aunt I really don't care for. Her house smelled like Opium (maybe she wore it)- she was always talking on and on about money- she thought she had class because she had money, ugh. As a child, I was dragged there for various family get-togethers and always dreaded her crass attitude and obnoxious, boozing friends. I haven't seen her in quite a while; maybe I will be able to revisit this in edp form and see if I can get the resinous, spicy edge here that others describe. Opium reminded me how closely entwined scent and memories are- for better or worse!
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Fragrances -Diesel - Plus Plus Feminine
Gretchen76 6/12/2008 7:10:00 PM
Wow...a major leap from my normal oriental faves. The opening blast was a bit overpowering, very sharp, not milky as the box design would lead you to believe. However, after waiting several hours, I was rewarded with a soft, creamy, sherbety drydown. It wasn't the scent of a particular fruit, I couldn't stop sniffing, though! According to other sites, this is supposed to be a soft floral, but I didn't catch any flowers here. This needs time on your skin to develop for sure. So far the longevity has been very good, if someone gets close to you (which is the way it should be). Love the packaging- I didn't want to have to open the cute silver milk carton with the cows on it!
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Dune EDT
Gretchen76 6/12/2008 3:04:00 PM
This is definately a skin scent. The color of the juice (peach) fits perfectly. The smell reminds me of hot sand at the beach into which someone has buried a perfectly ripe peach- softly warmed by the sun. Not that Dune specifically smells like fruit, just an impression I get from wearing it. Apparently, Dior wanted to do a "marine" scent without the "ozonic" notes- thank goodness for that would have ruined the fragrance. As for longevity of scent- one spritz has lasted me about 8 1/2 hours! A very atmospheric scent- it has never smelled the same way twice on my skin.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Samsara
Gretchen76 6/1/2008 11:53:00 AM
Sultry. Sex(y). This is what comes to mind when wearing Samsara. Wow- I can't think of a more flagrant oriental right now. It's the basenotes of sandalwood, vanilla amber, musk and tonka bean that will literally sink their teeth into your skin and morph with it in such a sexy way. Oh. My. Goodness. If there were a song to wear Samsara to, it's Depeche Mode's "I Feel You": well, it leaves my mouth dry, my heart pounding...provoked in the best way possible.... Agreed that it should always be dabbed, never sprayed. Don't wear this to the office unless you plan on using your desk...for non-work related activities!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Prince Matchabelli - Wind Song
Gretchen76 5/18/2008 12:10:00 PM
I'm not sure what took me so long to review this lovely scent! Wind song is so lovely and elegant- I can't tell this difference between this and 'LAir du Temps (accept for the price tag, that is) I also can't tell the difference between the Matchabelli version and Parfum de Coeur's version. It's floral with a hint of spice, incredibly soft, but not sexy.t I couldn't think of a time when it would be overpowering. I admit I buy the purse size versions (in the metal cans) at Sprawlmart because they are portable. I get more compliments on this than any of my other scents. Try the powder if you can find it, it layers well.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Jovan - Woman
Gretchen76 5/18/2008 11:57:00 AM
I had never heard of this offering by Jovan until I joined MUA. Up until then, I hadn't really found anything by Jovan which I liked, mostly because I associated Jovan only with their line of musks. Musk generally doesn't work for me, though I have tried. I saw reviews for "Woman" and was intruigued. There is not much information out there on this, howver, Jovan's website does list it. My local Kmart offers it, but after some recent customer service issues with them, I figured I would never get to try "Woman" out for myself. However, a few weeks ago I was in my local Rite-Aid and lo and behold, there it was, a bottle of "Woman" on display, 2 oz. for $14.99 with a $4.00 off coupon stuck to it (how often does THAT happen?) To make a long story short, after much debate with myself, I caved in. I got in my car and immediately put a small spritz on my wrist- wow! It reminds me of a Paloma Picasso, Aromatics Elixir, and Cabochard and others I can't name at the moment. It's VERY dry, not sweet at all (which is just fine with me), chypre, I detect no floral in this. Though it is only cologne strength, it lasts more than a couple hours on me, with lovely sillage. Thank you to the ladies of MUA for putting this one out there and your helpful reviews! I suggest if you live near a Rite-Aid, go try this out. You won't be sorry!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Shulton --Old Spice
Gretchen76 4/13/2008 2:33:00 PM
WHAT ON EARTH HAS P & g DONE TO THIS VENERABLE CLASSIC? I remember my dad always having a bottle of this on his dresser when I was young. I would love to open the bottle to sneak a sniff of the spicy, heady aroma. I tried some today at Sprawlmart, dabbed a little of the "cologne" on the back of my hand. It smelled like the Shulton version for about 5 seconds, then it turned into a nauseating overtly vanilla aroma. This has definately been tweaked- and what's with the PLASTIC bottle?! The scent reminds me of when kids used to get sick on the school bus and the driver would try to cover the smell with scented kitty litter. The body wash is putrid as well. I am determined to track down the Shulton version- it is the one and only for me!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrance -Candie's - Candie's for Men
Gretchen76 4/13/2008 12:05:00 PM
This is so wrong all around- men shouldn't smell sweet. I don't care for the recent trend in men's frgarance in which men smell like candy or fruit. Maybe I am old-school, but Candie's for men is the epitome of metrosexual blandness; it's high-pitched sweetness gives me a headache. I haven't smelled this lately so I am hoping the popularity of this is waning. I will say that the lasting power of this is phenomenal, much to my detriment!
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Fragrances -Candie's - Candies
Gretchen76 4/13/2008 11:57:00 AM
I was able to get a mini of the parfum for about $6 at Sprawlmart figuring if I didn't like it I wouldn't be out much money. I had never tried the women's version until now because I used to date a guy a few years back that bathed in the men's version- to make a long story short, it ended badly and the thought of any Candie's was a no-no. Well, I'm glad I got over my bias because the women's version is very nice- like watermelon and spice. Youthful, yes, but some days one doesn't feel like something serious. The parfum lasts all day, so I have it in a rollerball bottle so I don't over-apply. Very well done- I look forward to wearing this in summer.
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Cucumber Melon Body Spray
Gretchen76 4/12/2008 7:28:00 PM
Loved this scent dearly about 15 years ago- I wasn't well-schooled in scent. It was refreshing and youthful. Somewhere along the way I think my sense of smell changed and I found this surprisingly nauseating- possibly because this became so poplular and every brand that carried a bath/body line put out a cucmber melon scent. I can't enjoy it anymore.
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Brown Sugar and Fig Body Splash
Gretchen76 4/12/2008 7:25:00 PM
My mother loves this fragrance- it's pretty much the only one she wears. She hates anything I wear, so we're at a bit of a standoff! I will say that this has incredible staying power for a splash. I have to agreed with the reviewer below, it's almost as if there is something rotting in it. I get the same nauseating reaction to Tom Ford's Black Orchid- dried fruits, something rotten, with an ashtray note. No thanks!
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